From Thursday 2nd January 2nd until – Saturday January 11th, 2025 Natural Christmas Trees, may be dropped off at the following locations in Co. Tipperary, free of charge.
[Take Note Here: Residents of Thurles Town and the surrounding areas, please note that the Christmas tree drop-off area for Thurles, per the Tipperary Co. Council website, is no longer Parnell Street Car Park, as it was in previous years, but this new site could be subject to change due to the current construction works taking place on the same Farm Building, beside ‘The Source’ on Cathedral Street.]
Clonmel Recycling Centre, Carrigeen, Clonmel. County Council Depot Cahir Business Park, Cahir. Waller’s-Lot Recycling Centre, Cashel. Recycling Centre, Donohill, Tipperary. Fair Green Car Park, Carrick-on-Suir. Nenagh Recycling Centre, Nenagh. Roscrea Recycling Centre, Roscrea. Templemore Town Park, Templemore.
Ireland’s recycling rate has not improved in a decade: it is time to move away from a wasteful linear economy.
In 2022, Ireland generated 15.7 million tonnes of waste, equivalent to 8kg per person every day.
Ireland’s annual waste generation has grown by over 20% in the last decade.
Ireland is now almost certain to miss EU municipal and packaging recycling targets for 2025.
Ireland’s municipal recycling rate remains stagnant at 41% with no significant change in 10 years.
Many construction activities are highly waste intensive, accounting for half of all waste generated.
Ireland has a waste infrastructure gap with over 1.2 million tonnes of municipal waste exported to other countries in 2022.
The Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) has today published the Circular Economy and Waste Statistics Highlights Report 2022. This report identifies that Ireland generated 15.7 million tonnes of waste in 2022, which although a decrease on 2021 figures, still shows a growth of over 20% in the last decade.
Commenting on the report, Mr David Flynn, Director of the Office of Environmental Sustainability, EPA said: “Today’s report from the EPA shows that Ireland’s progress towards a circular economy is stalling. Current measures to prevent waste, to promote reuse and to encourage recycling are not enough to meet mandatory municipal waste and plastic packaging targets. The challenge for Ireland is to reverse these trends and significantly reduce waste production and increase reuse and recycling. Strong implementation of existing policies and the introduction of new measures that support investment in new circular economy infrastructure will help move us away from a wasteful linear economy.”
Summary of data from the key sectors.
Construction and demolition waste:
Half of all waste generated in Ireland is construction and demolition waste. Most of this (85%) is soil and stone waste. Construction and demolition waste decreased by 8% to 8.3 million tonnes, driven primarily by reductions in soil and stone waste.
Municipal waste:
The total amount of municipal waste is relatively static at 3.2 million tonnes. This is a 1% increase from 3.17 million tonnes in 2021 and the same level as recorded in 2020.
Some 15% of municipal waste was disposed to landfill in 2021. Some 43% of municipal waste was treated by energy recovery through incineration.
Some 66% of Irish households had access to a brown bin for food and organic waste in 2022. This is a decrease of 3% from 2021. Regulatory changes in 2023 mean that waste collectors are now obliged to provide all households with a brown bin.
Packaging (including plastic packaging)
Total packaging waste remained unchanged at 1.2 million tonnes in 2022.
Some 32% of plastic packaging generated in Ireland in 2022 was recycled, up from 28% in 2021.
Single-use Plastics
Some 30,680 tonnes of single-use plastic bottles were placed on the market in 2022. A collection rate of 49% was achieved prior to the introduction of the new Deposit Return Scheme.
The report shows that over the last 10 years Ireland’s recycling rate has stagnated and mandatory targets for municipal and plastic packaging are at a high risk of not being met. Currently Ireland’s municipal waste recycling rate is unchanged at 41%, with a requirement to be at 55% by 2025. In addition, whilst recycling of packaging waste is 60%, this must reach 65% by 2025. In 2022 the plastic packaging recycling was 32%, up from 28% in 2021, however the recycling target for plastic packaging is 50 per cent by 2025. Positively, regarding construction and demolition (C&D) waste, 82% is recovered, the majority being used or recovered in back filling for land restoration. This is in excess of the 70% recovery rate required.
The report also highlights that Ireland’s capacity to collect and treat waste is vulnerable and underperforming, with an over-reliance on other countries to treat our recycling materials and general municipal waste. In 2022, 38% (1.2 million tonnes) of all municipal waste was exported for treatment. This included 369,000 tonnes of residual waste exported for energy recovery through incineration.
Commenting on the report findings Mr Warren Phelan, Programme Manager of the EPA’s Circular Economy Programme said: “Ireland’s economy is characterised by a high consumption of raw materials. However deeper change is needed right across the economy to accelerate the transition to a more circular economy. Effective regulation, incentives and enforcement are required to influence businesses and consumers to adopt best practices in production, supply, purchasing, use and reuse of goods, products and services.” The EPA’s national waste statistics are published HERE on the EPA website. The Circular Economy and Waste Statistics Highlights Report 2022 is available HERE on the EPA website.
New data identifies disparities persisting in survival cancer rates around Ireland, following a new report, from National Cancer Registry Ireland, (NCRI) covering years 2020 to 2022. This report examines the four most common forms of cancers in Ireland; namely lung, bowel, breast and prostate cancers.
During the aforementioned period an average of 44,000 tumours were diagnosed each year, with over half potentially life-changing and requiring extensive treatments.
Some 9,800 deaths were recorded annually, with one in five of these fatalities relating to lung cancer. An estimated 220,000 people, (or 4% of the population), were identified as living with, or in long-term remission from the disease.
The survival rate, five years after diagnosis, for those with colorectal, lung or breast cancer was found to be lowest in the mid-west region, latter which covers North Tipperary, Clare and Limerick; with survival rates remaining between four and five percentage points lower, when compared with similar cases in the rest of Ireland.
This report demonstrates the very necessary and urgent need for improvements within the mid-west region, when it comes to prevention, screening and early diagnosis; right through to fast access to services and successful treatment outcomes.
A final decision on the report had been previously delayed for further consultation; with a second traffic system trialled over a period of 3 days, instead of the 4 days originally agreed. However, the initial plan, formulated by Transport Infrastructure Ireland(TII) was proposed, yesterday, by Fine Gael Cllr. Ms Peggy Ryan and seconded by Fianna Fail Cllr. Sean Ryan, thus giving same idiotic plan the “green light”.
Yesterday evening, following the approved of this controversial plan, we understand that traders reacted angrily, with the latter holding banners stating, “It’s OK to say NO” and “120 Job Losses”.
The new plans, which are expected to take several years to implement, will involve changing the traffic system reduced to one lane, thus accepting traffic and heavy goods vehicles converging from 3 lanes right in the very centre of town. It will also see a further reduction of, at least, 12-14 car parking spaces from west Liberty square, and the removal of mature trees to be replaced by miniature trees forcing a colony of 1,000 Pied Wagtails becoming homeless.
Thurles Municipal District Officials; Councillors together with other unsuspecting drivers are being asked to take great care when travelling on Upper Kickham Street, (N75), in Thurles, Co. Tipperary tomorrow. Due to recent frosts, a section of the road surface, which had been dug up, has now totally disintegrated leaving huge craters directly opposite Aldi(on North side) and close to the entrance to Monakeeba housing estate(on South side).
State of road surface on Kickham Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Four living craters now currently exist on both sides of this traffic infested roadway, and have done so for the past two weeks. Despite being invisible to travelling motorists, these craters, as expected, have received absolutely no maintenance attention. But then again, it’s cold and Thurles Municipal District Officials don’t get out all that much in this type of weather.
The only reason I mention this tonight is because Thurles Councillors could be travelling into Thurles as expected tomorrow, to rubber stamp the planned Phase 2 upgrade for Liberty Square etc.
Thurles Town centre traders already having lost at least 40% to 60% of former footfall, under the Phase 1 upgrade, are expected to also be in attendance; to protest against these planned illogical and fallacious changes, same formulated by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and expected to be supported by aforementioned officials and some recently elected, unqualified councillors.
We will be looking at this matter more fully and in greater detail after tomorrows decisive meeting, which will no doubt be demanding immediate resignations.
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